Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

At this point if you have even so much as glanced in the direction of the craft beer industry than you most certainly have heard of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Running on the maxim of “off-centered ales for off-centered people” Dogfish Head has grown from Sam Calagione brewing three times per day on a keggle-based homebrew system to producing 250,000 barrels a year or almost 685 barrels a day.

You might be asking yourself, What the hell is a Dogfish Head? Turns out it is a small town located almost a third of the way up Maine’s coastline where Calagione spent his summers gallivanting about and dreaming of beer recipes, no doubt, no rhyme intended.

World Wide Stout is released each November provided it ferments out as planned. Dogfish Head famously dumped a whole batch of 120 Minute IPA in 2010 because it did not meet quality control standards. At 18 percent ABV this beer is no slouch and even spent a short time as the strongest beer in the world.

The pour is like something a squid would shoot your way as it darted in the opposite direction but with an added two inch capping of fine textured tan foam. Considering the ABV on this monster of the deep the head retention is top notch, sticking around for a solid five minutes before receding into the darkness. The aroma is quite boozy up front but joining in is a strong raisin note and plenty of dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, a touch of caramel, and even a hint of soy sauce.

The flavors of World Wide stout are as big as the ABV. Chock full of Italian roast coffee and bitter dark chocolate playing off a sweet caramel malty-ness. It is really quite interesting the way it oscillates rapidly from bitter to sweet with an overarching omnipresent booze heat from beginning to end. The mouthfeel is surprisingly syrupy, not just for the amount of alcohol but also the higher carb level. It seems to coat the mouth, throat, and gut with a slight burning and tingling sensation. Not so much warming the belly as it is numbing, like sweet anesthesia.

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BREWERY: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

LOCATION: Milton, Del.

STYLE: Imperial Stout

ABV: 18 percent

IBU: 70

PRICE: $7.99

RELEASE DATE: 1999

AVAILABLE IN: 12-ounce bottles

BEERS POURED: One

Overall, World Wide Stout is in a league of its own. I do not believe it was brewed with the intention of pleasing the masses although everyone should try it. Akin to riding a rollercoaster or skydiving. Take a photo, tick the box, and tell everyone in a snobbish passe tone “Been there, done that”. I kid. Don’t be an ass. Enjoy the unique experience that Dogfish Head World Wide Stout is throwing your way and be humbled by the fact that you are living in a time and place that allows for such open creativity.

You're here for beer and so am I. In my ever changing fast-paced life beer has been the thing that grounds me. Allows me time to relax, reflect, analyze, and sometimes socialize. Which can be tough for us introverts. Craft beer has helped me experience the world in a way nothing else could. Hell, I wouldn't be writing this right now if it were not for that cold New England night when a friend handed me my first craft beer and I proclaimed "beer can taste this good?" Since then, my love of beer has grown to include Homebrewing and all the fermentation science around it. Professionally, I am an aerospace technician and other interests include luthiery, camping/hiking, photography and playing bass guitar.